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Sunday, October 27, 2019

A CRITIQUE OF THE SYNOD BY A MISSIONARY APPOINTED BY POPE FRANCIS TO THE SYNOD


This is copied from Sandro Magister. You can read full article HERE:

But as a guide for interpreting them it is advisable to take a look first at the appraisal of this synod published yesterday in multiple languages - including Chinese - by “Asia News,” the agency of the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions.

Its author is a Uruguayan missionary invited to the synod by Pope Francis, Martín Lasarte Topolanski, whom the readers of Settimo Cielo already know and appreciate from a previous commentary of his.

He lists, for this synod, the six things that he liked and the nine that he disliked.

The complete text of this dual “vote” is on “Asia News.” While here is reproduced only an abbreviated summary of his votes against.

*

THE NINE THINGS ABOUT THIS SYNOD THAT I DIDN’T LIKE

by Martín Lasarte

1. Too much energy was dedicated to internal Church problems, especially the viri probati and female deaconate. The issues of the “viri probati” and female deaconate, which did not generate any broad agreement, used up a lot of time to the detriment of other topics over which there was agreement.

2. Regional self-centredness. Synodality with those who think like me; autonomy and pluralism with those who think differently, as in the case of the sister Churches of Asia, Europe and Africa. I think more should have been said about the synodality of the universal Church with respect to the ordained ministries.

3. There was no deeper self-criticism by the Church. I am referring here to the poor pastoral outreach of the last 50 years among the various Amazonian ecclesial communities. What are the causes of such pastoral poverty and barrenness? In my opinion, the issues of the social ideologisation, and the lack of a credible, coherent and resplendent testimony to the sanctity of ministers (which explain religious and priestly dropouts and equivocal lives) were not adequately addressed.

4. New patches for old clothes. In my opinion, the main issues associated with evangelisation were not discussed. What are the new ways proposed by the Synod? Only new structures and the ordination of “viri probati.” It seems to me that this new thing is extremely thin. In my view, the new garment that we must don with new fervour is a problem of "faith", i.e. how to wear Christ.

5. There was talk of an “Amazonian rite” for the liturgy. There is a risk of falling into theoretical experimentation in a pastoral lab. Undoubtedly, the inculturation of the Gospel in the liturgy and the life of Amazonian Christian communities is indispensable, but this must be done in real life, little by little, with reasonable adaptation and acclimatisation of what is truly authentic in the culture to truly convey the Christian mystery with original symbols and expressions, avoiding superficial and generic “folklorisation”.

6. Clericalisation of the laity. We could have solved the problem of would-be priestly ordinations for married men through the usual ways that already exist within the Church. Unfortunately, the “topic” of the Synod was the ordination of married men, whilst other topics remained in the shadows.

7. The secular vision of ministries, particularly that of women as “ordained deaconesses” was another topic, which came up all the time, with very civil motivations, under the strong pressure of the dominant culture. I think I saw a certain parliamentary sagacity: “We are representatives of the Amazonian peoples and we must carry forward the proposals put forward by them”.

8. The Church is in danger of becoming an NGO. The Church's mystery, life and action would be reduced to various advocacy and social service activities. Such reductionism seems to me to be strongly present in the sensitivity of a number of Synod participants.

9. The atmosphere of the Synod was fairly serene, fraternal and respectful, even though at the end some participants presented things rather dialectically. On the one hand, the Pharisee club was tied to the doctrine, frightened by the new, thus closed to the Holy Spirit; on the other hand, those who listen to the people (“sensus fidei”), without fear, are open to what is new and so are docile to the Holy Spirit… We must admire a Holy Spirit that came so well prepared and organised.

*

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Pope Francis, like all liberals, just doesn’t get it. The old saying is true that you “catch more flies with honey”.

All lot of what Francis is trying to do is fine but his constant belittling of people who he thinks don’t agree with him is his down fall. Example the married priests issue in the Amazon region. Ok I get it. In that area for a certain time married priests might be needed. Celibacy is an ancient and venerable discipline of the Church. It could be dispensed with. But to go through a phony synod that was clearly stacked to get his desired outcome is ridiculous. It’s not the Holy Spirit. It’s the work of a dictator.

And this women deacon thing is nonsense. Everyone knows the Church teaches and has always taught that Holy Orders can only be received by males. Francis can’t change it. He knows it. So why keep bringing it up and cause confusion and scandal and anxiety.

The demon idol fiasco was stupid, scandalous and a grave sin on behalf of the pope and those bishops who took part. You want to show respect for certain aspects of Amazonian culture, that’s fine. But showing veneration to a pagan idol that is recognized as the goddess Mother Earth is sinful/scandalous. It was stupid and unnecessary. But condemning faithful Catholics who were rightly outraged and scandalized by it as mean, racist, elitists is beyond the pale. It was 100% wrong for the pope or any Christian to be in anyway involved in paganism. Period.

And using the Holy Mass as a setting to make veiled belittling remarks against faithful Catholics is not only sinful but it shows what a classless, arrogant, snob Francis really is. For my part I have had enough. I will never darken the door of a Novus Ordo parish again nor will I give another cent to them. Not because I don’t accept Vatican II or I think Mass in English is evil. It’s because I have had enough with the nonsense. The nonstop clergy abuse. The failure to stop it. Worldwide liturgical abuse which has become frankly embarrassing. I’ve had enough. Tradition and only Tradition from here on out.

Francis can do or say whatever he wants, I no longer care. The Churches are more and more empty as the years go on. Having a married priest isn’t going to make someone get out of bed and go to Mass. The Church need serious, intelligent, educated masculine men who actually believe in God and the Catholic Faith to be ordained as priests. Frankly I don’t care if they are married or not at this point. But I have had enough of the silliness.

What do you think our Protestant brothers and sisters thought about the pope taking part in demon worship of pagan idols. Francis made the entire Catholic Church look ridiculous. Enough with the nonsense!

TJM said...

Anonymous,

You are definitely not Anonymous K, since you speak the truth and make sense!

Dan said...

Reading the above comment from another fed up normal Catholic (Sorry Mark, but its true)
makes me realize:

We are Christeros

Carol H. said...

Viva Cristo Rey!

Bob said...

I believe next year that Bergoglio will put forth as fruit of the synod that it recommended that all Catholics buy an image of Pachamama as reparation for offenses against sister earth and her brothers and sisters, purchase handled through Peter's Pence Foundation newly established to send money to those churchmen most in need in the Amazon and South America, for workers at the peripheries,

AND, that these images will be sourced from China so that those imprisoned for the Faith will know their labors are contributing to the new utopia just around the next corner.

The poor being the hope of the Church, as he proclaimed at closing, means that utopia is attainable, as when we eliminate poverty, we have instantly brought about nirvana, all will go to heaven, and all will be saints.

Meanwhile, him having also been quoted by several intimates who claim to share the same view, that all people go to heaven and are saints, because we do not worship a Blue Meanie, means the middle class parasites of sister earth's body will stay in their living rooms and dens rather than forming a line to eliminate anything at all which might iterrupt their internet, secure in the knowledge they are homeward bound because that pope-guy said it was kosher.

johnnyc said...

Apparently the wooden idols were not seen at the ending of the synod Mass which might tell us that if they were indeed harmless the liberals would have been parading them down the aisle. Perhaps those who defended the Faith by throwing them in the river and the outcry from faithful Catholics made a difference after all.

Mark Thomas said...

In regard to: "5. There was talk of an “Amazonian rite” for the liturgy."

That reminds me of the following: I wanted to read the liberal take on the conclusion of the Synod. Therefore, I turned to Praytell as in many ways, I view the folks there liberals among liberals.

What I found was that Father Ruff at PrayTell revealed today the phoniness of "liberal" Catholics (in general) in regard to liturgy.

First, this is not a grudge against Father Ruff. My meaning is that I wish to note — its importance will be revealed in a second — that Father Ruff had banned me a couple of years ago from his blog.

Among the reasons in regard to my having been banned is that I had referenced the CCC to counter an argument offered by Rita Ferrone.

The fact that I had referenced the CCC suggested to Father Ruff that I was a "fundamentalist" to be banned from his blog.

But today, Father Ruff referenced the CCC to strengthen the support he's given to the establishment of an Amazonian Rite.

In regard to 27 voters who had voted against the would-be Amazonian Rite, Father Ruff said:

==========================================================================================

"I see that 27 voted against article 117, which first describes the existing rites of the church, and then quotes at length from the Catechism. What do you suppose they were voting against?

"The last 2000 years which developed a variety of rites, or the Church’s official catechism??"

==========================================================================================

Father Ruff is gung-ho for an Amazonian Rite. (That is fine with me.)

But he appealed to Tradition, as well as CCC teachings, to have empowered his arguments against those opposed to the Amazonian Rite.

However, he has opposed those who have rooted in Tradition and the CCC (Church teachings) their enthusiasm and arguments in favor of the TLM.

Father Ruff will employ the CCC to support his arguments...but he will silence (ban from his blog) those who employ the CCC to support their arguments.

That is the game that "liberals" will play going forward in regard to the movement to establish an Amazonian Rite.

Again, I am not opposed to the establishment of a Church-approved Amazonian Rite.

But as long as liberals play the game in question (right-wingers also play in their way the game in question), the Latin Church's Liturgical War will continue.

Liberals such as Father Ruff will express unwavering support for the Amazonian Rite. They won't permit said Rite to labeled "divisive."

They won't care that speaking relatively, only a microscopic amount of Catholics will worship via the Amazonian Rite.

They will turn to Tradition and the CCC (Church teachings) to advance the Amazonian Rite.

But they will label the TLM "divisive." They will oppose with vigor the microscopic amount of Catholic who worship via the TLM.

Father Ruff and his left-wing ilk (as well as right-wingers) must cease to wage war against those who express liturgical preferences.

Do not trash those who worship via Church-approved liturgies.

In Catholic charity, let the Church's Divine Mysteries bless those who wish to worship in peace.

Otherwise, the Latin Church's Liturgical War will continue.

Pax.

Mark Thomas

Again, it is interesting that his turning to the CCC to support his pro-Amazonian Rite stance did not smack of "fundamentalism" to Father Ruff. That label applies only to those who reference the CCC in opposition to Father Ruff and his Praytell friends.

:-)

Gene said...

The Catholic Church is so off the rails. It is really disturbing.